Sports ramblings…with a Yankees bias!

Maybe McCourt should have said ‘I don’t’…

It is weird starting off a
post without talking about the Yankees, but I was shocked to see Major League
Baseball announce that they are taking over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They apparently will appoint a trustee to
oversee all aspect of the organization, including the day-to-day operations. The Dodgers have been a mess since the
divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt became public. It’s too bad because the Dodgers were playing
toe-to-toe with the Philadelphia Phillies when the divorce fiasco began.

AP

Most likely, this will lead
to the eventual sale of the franchise so I hope that the next owner of the
Dodgers will bring the stability and the passion that the team sorely
needs. There is something wrong in the
world when one of the most storied franchises in baseball becomes a daily
tabloid soap opera.

The Dodgers situation
definitely makes me grateful that George Steinbrenner set up the succession of
power prior to his demise. For years, it
seemed as though neither Hank or Hal had any interest in running the
Yankees. For a time, it appeared that
the next managing general partner of the Yankees might be one of his daughter’s
husbands. Given the subsequent divorces
they’ve experienced, I am so glad that they weren’t given the reigns only to
have the organization muddled in a divorce situation. So, if anything else, I hope that Hal loves his
wife and she loves him. Let’s keep the
Yankees in the Steinbrenner family for generations to come.

Speaking of the Dodgers, I
saw that Donnie Baseball turned 50 today.
Both Donnie and I were born in the same year so my turn will be
following shortly. It doesn’t seem that
long ago that I was watching a game where the Yankees first baseman #23 was
celebrating his 23rd birthday while playing a game. I can still see that game in my mind. The Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 4-1 behind
Ron Guidry. Mattingly was 3-for-4. It’s funny how that game sticks out in my
memory. Perhaps it was because it was
the year of his number. Whatever the
reason, I wish the Dodgers skipper a very happy and memorable 50th
birthday!

Tonight, the Yankees beat the
Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 behind the great pitching performance of Bartolo
Colon. I have been a Colon naysayer
since the Yankees signed him but it was a great first start. I am concerned about his ability to sustain
it over the course of the season, but the guy definitely knows how to
pitch. This is not the same guy that
failed during his days in Boston.
Admittedly, I don’t want to go into October with Colon as the #3
starter, but for now, he is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The stat that really stands
out to me about tonight’s game is Curtis Granderson‘s sixth home run of
April. I am very excited that he has
continued the great progress that he’s made in pinstripes. His early tenure was painful but he’s become
a force in the outfield. Given the
questions with Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher, it is great to see so hats off
to the Grandy Man!

1 Comment

Scott: Derek still hasn’t swung the bats well…though he did pick up a hit last night. I hope he turns things around, but as long as the team is winning, I guess I’m okay with it.
-Virginiahttp://southernbelle.mlblogs.com

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.